Hypertension is a major risk factor for development of stroke, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and end-stage renal disease. In a systematic review of the evidence published from 2004 to 2009, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) concluded there was moderate evidence of an inverse relationship between the intake of milk and milk products (dairy) and blood pressure. This review synthesizes results from studies published over the past year on the relationship between dairy intake, blood pressure, and hypertension risk. The influence of dairy micronutrients including calcium, vitamin D, potassium, and phosphorous on blood pressure and incident hypertension is examined. Emerging research on bioactive dairy peptides is also reviewed. Lastly, recent evidence on effects of dairy fat content on blood pressure and hypertension risk, and the impact of inclusion of low-fat dairy in dietary patterns is also investigated.

The USDA's Nutrition Evidence Library (NEL) specializes in conducting food- and nutrition-related systematic reviews that are used to inform federal government decision making. To ensure the utility of NEL systematic reviews, the most relevant topics must be addressed, questions must be clearly focused and appropriate in scope, and review frameworks must reflect the state of the science. Identifying the optimal topics and questions requires input from a variety of stakeholders, including scientists with technical expertise, as well as government policy and program leaders. The objective of this article is to describe the rationale and NEL methodology for identifying topics and developing systematic review questions implemented as part of the "Evaluating the evidence base to support the inclusion of infants and children from birth to 24 months of age in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans--the B-24 Project." This is the first phase of a larger project designed to develop dietary guidance for the birth to 24-mo population in the United States.

By choosing only low-sodium foods, it was possible to construct nutritionally adequate dietary patterns with 1500 mg Na/d. Sodium density (mg Na/kcal) is a practical approach for expressing sodium recommendations.

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